Eyes Up

Colt Schiefer, Student Body President

​Have you ever been given a job that you felt inadequate for?
 
I have.
 
This summer I was a lead counselor at The Wilds Christian Camp.
 
Leading crazy camp cheers, laying out a spiritual theme, and (mostly) keeping control of exuberant counselors is a daunting task by itself. But there is more to it.
 
Why me?
 
I couldn’t do it. I’m not very charismatic or inspiring. I’m really not even that good at counseling. I’m not funny, musically inclined, or naturally good at leading.
 
But God is bigger than all that. This summer, I learned that God is way bigger than my weaknesses. He doesn’t need me, but sometimes He still chooses to use me for His glory.
 
Throughout the summer, one of my biggest goals for my campers (and counselors) was that they would have an eternal focus. In other words, we need to strive for things that matter for eternity, not just here on earth.
 
To try to make it catchy, I summarized it as “Eyes Up.” I emphasized Hebrews 12:1-2, especially the part that says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…”
 
Despite the spiritual goal, my attempts at intense camp-game strategies, and tons of energy, my team didn’t win a whole lot. We only won two of the ten total weeks, which included the last one. But the best part of the summer was at the very end, after we won that second time. But it wasn’t because of the victory.
 
That last week when we won, we did all the stereotypical celebrations. We jumped in the creek, screamed the “I believe” chant, snapped pictures, and then—our team tradition—we circled up and sang “All I Ever Want To Be” and prayed for the final time. But that wasn’t the best part.
 
Even counselors from the other team congratulated us on winning. The pressure was off. We didn’t have the weight of rarely winning still on our shoulders! But that wasn’t the best part.
 
I was so excited for my counselors. They worked so hard each week. From spending quality time to get to know their campers to laughing at the same corny jokes to cheering as loudly as possible all summer long, they never slacked. They never wavered. I was so thankful we got that win for my counselors. But that wasn’t the best part.
 
The best part was after all the hoopla, the celebrations, and the pictures. A counselor put his arm around me, and said, “I like winning and all… but this week I had three campers get saved and that’s all I care about.” Shortly after, another counselor said, “Thanks for teaching us how empty winning really is.”
 
That was the best part. He was “Eyes Up.”
 
That made the hard work worth it. That made the late nights and early mornings worth it. That made the tough conversations with counselors worth it. That made the losing weeks worth it. Because my counselors got it. They understood what was most important.
 
I could not have asked for a better finish to the summer. It wasn’t about me, and it definitely wasn’t because of me. It was about God. It was because of God. God used me in spite of my lack of ability and my flaws. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.